Mercury Accumulation Rates and Spatial Patterns in Lake Sediments from West Greenland:  A Coast to Ice Margin Transect

Bindler, Richard; Renberg, Ingemar; Appleby, P. G.; Anderson, N. J.; Rose, Neil L.

doi:10.1021/es0002868

Cited by 135 publications

(90 citation statements)

References 33 publications

(46 reference statements)

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“…Several historic sediment and peat bog records from remote sites in both the northern and the southern hemispheres indicate a 2-4 fold increase in Hg deposition since pre-industrial times (Engstrom and Swain, 1997;Bindler et al, 2001;Lamborg et al, 2002;Shotyk et al, 2003;Givelet et al, 2004;Fitzgerald et al, 2005;Shotyk et al, 2005). North American and European Hg emissions are decreasing while those in Asia and Africa are increasing but the latter changes are less well documented and thus carry a larger uncertainty (see Table 1).…”

Section: Worldwide Anthropogenic Mercury Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A synthesis of atmospheric mercury depletion event chemistry in the atmosphere and snow

Steffen

Douglas

Amyot³

et al. 2008

Atmos. Chem. Phys.

437

439

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Abstract. It was discovered in 1995 that, during the spring time, unexpectedly low concentrations of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) occurred in the Arctic air. This was surprising for a pollutant known to have a long residence time in the atmosphere; however conditions appeared to exist in the Arctic that promoted this depletion of mercury (Hg). This phenomenon is termed atmospheric mercury depletion events (AMDEs) and its discovery has revolutionized our understanding of the cycling of Hg in Polar Regions while stimulating a significant amount of research to understand its impact to this fragile ecosystem. Shortly after the discovery was made in Canada, AMDEs were confirmed to occur throughout the Arctic, sub-Artic and Antarctic coasts. It is now known that, through a series of photochemically initiated reactions involving halogens, GEM is converted to a Correspondence to: A. Steffen (alexandra.steffen@ec.gc.ca) more reactive species and is subsequently associated to particles in the air and/or deposited to the polar environment. AMDEs are a means by which Hg is transferred from the atmosphere to the environment that was previously unknown. In this article we review Hg research taken place in Polar Regions pertaining to AMDEs, the methods used to collect Hg in different environmental media, research results of the current understanding of AMDEs from field, laboratory and modeling work, how Hg cycles around the environment after AMDEs, gaps in our current knowledge and the future impacts that AMDEs may have on polar environments. The research presented has shown that while considerable improvements in methodology to measure Hg have been made but the main limitation remains knowing the speciation of Hg in the various media. The processes that drive AMDEs and how they occur are discussed. As well, the role that the snow pack and the sea ice play in the cycling of Hg is presented. It has been found that deposition of Hg from AMDEs occurs at marine coasts and not far inland and that a fraction of the Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. deposited Hg does not remain in the same form in the snow. Kinetic studies undertaken have demonstrated that bromine is the major oxidant depleting Hg in the atmosphere. Modeling results demonstrate that there is a significant deposition of Hg to Polar Regions as a result of AMDEs. Models have also shown that Hg is readily transported to the Arctic from source regions, at times during springtime when this environment is actively transforming Hg from the atmosphere to the snow and ice surfaces. The presence of significant amounts of methyl Hg in snow in the Arctic surrounding AMDEs is important because this species is the link between the environment and impacts to wildlife and humans. Further, much work on methylation and demethylation processes has occurred but these processes are not yet fully understood. Recent changes in the climate and sea ice cover in Polar Regions are likely to have strong effects on the cycling of Hg in this envir...

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Section: Worldwide Anthropogenic Mercury Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A synthesis of atmospheric mercury depletion event chemistry in the atmosphere and snow

Steffen

Douglas

Amyot³

et al. 2008

Atmos. Chem. Phys.

437

439

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“…The balance between increased Hg inputs and increased sequestration implies that most of the modern increase in Hg inputs to Hudson Bay was ultimately captured and buried in sediments. [253] For freshwater sediments, estimates of focus-corrected modern Hg fluxes, averaged over recent decades, are available for 76 lakes from Northern Canada, [23,261] Alaska, [21,262] West Greenland, [263,264] Northern Sweden (above 608N), Finland (above 608N) and Russia. [262] These lakes gave an overall median modern Hg flux of 11.5 mg m À2 year À1 (mean AE s.d., 20.3 AE 22.3 mg m À2 year À1 ; geometric mean ¼ 12.7 mg m À2 year À1 ).…”

Section: Eastern Beaufort Sea Belugamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[62,65] A first-order estimate of THg mass sequestered in sediments was obtained by multiplying the median flux above by the total surface area of lakes in the circumpolar Arctic region. A GIS-based estimate was [21,23,261,263,264] C Estimated range only, based on few data. [259,273,274] T. A. Douglas et al…”

Section: Eastern Beaufort Sea Belugamentioning

confidence: 99%

The fate of mercury in Arctic terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, a review

Douglas

Loseto²,

Macdonald³

et al. 2012

Environ. Chem.

121

147

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Environmental context. Mercury, in its methylated form, is a neurotoxin that biomagnifies in marine and terrestrial foodwebs leading to elevated levels in fish and fish-eating mammals worldwide, including at numerous Arctic locations. Elevated mercury concentrations in Arctic country foods present a significant exposure risk to Arctic people. We present a detailed review of the fate of mercury in Arctic terrestrial and marine ecosystems, taking into account the extreme seasonality of Arctic ecosystems and the unique processes associated with sea ice and Arctic hydrology.Abstract. This review is the result of a series of multidisciplinary meetings organised by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme as part of their 2011 Assessment 'Mercury in the Arctic'. This paper presents the state-of-the-art knowledge on the environmental fate of mercury following its entry into the Arctic by oceanic, atmospheric and terrestrial pathways. Our focus is on the movement, transformation and bioaccumulation of Hg in aquatic (marine and fresh water) and terrestrial ecosystems. The processes most relevant to biological Hg uptake and the potential risk associated with Hg exposure in wildlife are emphasised. We present discussions of the chemical transformations of newly deposited or transported Hg in marine, fresh water and terrestrial environments and of the movement of Hg from air, soil and water environmental compartments into food webs. Methylation, a key process controlling the fate of Hg in most ecosystems, and the role of trophic processes in controlling Hg in higher order animals are also included. Case studies on Eastern Beaufort Sea beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) and landlocked Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) are presented as examples of the relationship between ecosystem trophic processes and biologic Hg levels. We examine whether atmospheric mercury depletion events (AMDEs) contribute to increased Hg levels in Arctic biota and provide information on the links between organic carbon and Hg speciation, dynamics and bioavailability. Long-term sequestration of Hg into non-biological archives is also addressed. The review concludes by identifying major knowledge gaps in our understanding, including:(1) the rates of Hg entry into marine and terrestrial ecosystems and the rates of inorganic and MeHg uptake by Arctic microbial and algal communities; (2) the bioavailable fraction of AMDE-related Hg and its rate of accumulation by biota and (3) the fresh water and marine MeHg cycle in the Arctic, especially the marine MeHg cycle.

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“…Lorey and Driscoll, 1999;Cannon et al, 2003;Bindler et al, 2001) and might also contribute to the Hg budget of Lake El'gygytgyn. But the heterogeneous distribution of Hg in both the surface sediments and the tributaries with a very pronounced maximum in one region of the lake floor implies a local Hg source.…”

Section: Indicators Of Tectonic Activitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Modern sedimentation patterns in Lake El'gygytgyn, NE Russia, derived from surface sediment and inlet streams samples

et al. 2013

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Abstract. Lake El'gygytgyn/NE Russia holds a continuous 3.58 Ma sediment record, which is regarded as the most longlasting climate archive of the terrestrial Arctic. Based on multi-proxy geochemical, mineralogical, and granulometric analyses of surface sediment, inlet stream and bedrock samples, supplemented by statistical methods, major processes influencing the modern sedimentation in the lake were investigated. Grain-size parameters and chemical elements linked to the input of feldspars from acidic bedrock indicate a windinduced two-cell current system as major driver of sediment transport and accumulation processes in Lake El'gygytgyn. The distribution of mafic rock related elements in the sediment on the lake floor can be traced back to the input of weathering products of basaltic rocks in the catchment. Obvious similarities in the spatial variability of manganese and heavy metals indicate sorption or co-precipitation of these elements with Fe and Mn hydroxides and oxides. But the similar distribution of organic matter and clay contents might also point to a fixation to organic components and clay minerals. An enrichment of mercury in the inlet streams might be indicative of neotectonic activity around the lake. The results of this study add to the fundamental knowledge of the modern lake processes of Lake El'gygytgyn and its lakecatchment interactions, and thus, yield crucial insights for the interpretation of paleo-data from this unique archive.

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Mercury Accumulation Rates and Spatial Patterns in Lake Sediments from West Greenland: A Coast to Ice Margin Transect

Cited by 135 publications

References 33 publications

A synthesis of atmospheric mercury depletion event chemistry in the atmosphere and snow

A synthesis of atmospheric mercury depletion event chemistry in the atmosphere and snow

The fate of mercury in Arctic terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, a review

Modern sedimentation patterns in Lake El'gygytgyn, NE Russia, derived from surface sediment and inlet streams samples

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